


A second too late

by GalaxyPixel



Series: Leonard McCoy Bingo [3]
Category: Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies)
Genre: Away Mission Gone Wrong, Blood Loss, Character Death, Hurt, Love Confessions, M/M, Not Beta Read, Sad Ending, Sorry Not Sorry, no happy ending, very sad, you'll probably cry
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-24
Updated: 2021-01-24
Packaged: 2021-03-16 12:14:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,931
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28956291
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GalaxyPixel/pseuds/GalaxyPixel
Summary: Leonard doesn't like first contact missions. This time he's glad they all made it safe and healthy to the ship. Until it's pointed out that not everyone got away safely. One person got shot
Relationships: James T. Kirk/Leonard "Bones" McCoy
Series: Leonard McCoy Bingo [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2019503
Comments: 6
Kudos: 14





	A second too late

**Author's Note:**

> So I had read sad fics and was in a sad mood. That's the only explanation for this. I'm not sorry.
> 
> Written for Leonard McCoy Bingo: Jim Kirk

Leonard cursed while he followed the rest of the away-team, running towards the trees. This was supposed to be a peaceful mission, First Contact and everything. But apparently, the rebels had taken over just before they arrived and they wanted nothing to do with Starfleet. Instead of being told nicely that they could leave again, they were welcomed with guns. Or, whatever their equivalent for guns was. So, they couldn’t shoot all the aliens straight up, that would cause too much paperwork and headaches for Starfleet. The plan Jim had made was to get to a safer place long enough so they could beam out. 

Nearing the trees Leonard glanced back once more, to see if their attackers had given up. He knew from books and movies that it’s never a good idea to look back, to just keep running, but he had to know. He saw one of the attackers stand on a small hill, pointing his weapon at him. 

“Bones! Get over here! He can’t see us between the trees!”

Leonard turned around and pushed all the energy and power he had into his legs, making it to the trees and stopping himself by falling against the first person he met, in this case, Lieutenant Hendorff. The man steadied Leonard, who took some deep breaths and turned around. 

“Okay, who’s hurt? Don’t lie to me or it’ll be worse when I find out.”

The ones with bruises and scrapes came to him, getting them treated. One ensign had gotten a branch in her eye when she ran into the forest. Leonard treated them all as best as he could, knowing Jim and some security officers were looking for a clearing to beam them all up. When they came back, telling they had found a clearing good enough for Scotty, Leonard turned to Jim.

“Raise your shirt.”

“What? Bones? I’m not hurt!” Jim took a step back, away from the hypo Leonard was holding in his hand, ready to stick in his best friends neck.

“Captain, just do it. You know the Doctor won’t let you beam up without it, and to be blunt, I really want to leave this place.”

Jim turned around to glare at Hendorff, which meant he turned his back on Leonard, who took the opportunity and hypo’d Jim. “There, now don’t be a baby and show your chest. I thought I’d heard a gun go off and hit something.”

  
“Bones! Hendorff! You’re conspiring against the captain! Mutiny!” Jim squeaked, lifting his shirt in the process, showing Bones that he was indeed, completely fine.

Leonard nodded and grabbed his communicator. “You can beam us up, Scotty, the captain has been deemed healthy enough for transport.”

“Aye, doctor. I’ll beam you all up. Need any medical on stand by?”

“No Scotty, not necessary this time. They can all walk to sickbay for their follow-up. See you on the ship.”

Leonard closed his communicator and put it in his pocket, grabbing his med-kit from the ground. He turned around, hearing someone shout something about needing medical on standby and not listening to the Doctor before it got cut off by being beamed up.

Leonard looked around the people on the transporter pad, confused about why someone would say they needed medical on stand by when he knew everyone was healthy.

“Doctor, did you swap shirts with one of my men?”

Leonard looked confused at Scotty, what did he mean, swapping shirts. “No, why would I?”

“Because your shirt is red,” Scotty pointed to Leonard’s shirt, who looked down and saw his blue shirt, covered in red.

“Shit, he’s the one hurt! Scotty, call for medbay, we need a gurney, now!”

Scotty did as his captain asked and also commed the First Officer, saying their CMO got hurt on the away mission and the captain was going with him to medbay.

Leonard felt himself get dizzy and leaned against the wall, slapping away Jim’s hand. He lifted his shirt slowly, feeling it stick against his skin. All he could see was blood, slowly seeping onto the floor. He touched his stomach, not feeling a hole there, but it was still covered in blood. He was confused, when did he get hurt?

“Bones, nono don’t sit down now. Stay awake, please. For me.”

Leonard turned to look at Jim, whose face had turned a little ashen. “Jim? I’ll be fine, it’s not that much blood.”

He took a step to the side, wanting to show Jim he was very healthy and a little bloodloss didn’t matter when he heard a yell.

“Get him on this gurney, now! Singh, cut open his shirt, we need to find where all the blood is coming from. Flores, page Doctor M’Benga and tell him we’re going to need a blood transfusion for Doctor McCoy. Woodward, tell nurse Chapel she’s going to have to prepare an operating room for the Doctor. And Captain, please help me keep the doctor on this gurney while we go as fast as we can back to medbay. Debrief can be done later.”

Leonard stared into the face of one of his best nurses, after Chapel. He smiled, knowing they could really make people listen to them. He was put onto a gurney while his shirt got cut open. He closed his eyes, trusting them to heal him. He knew closing his eyes was never a good idea, but he needed to, the bright lights of the ship blinding him.

“Bones, no!”

He heard a scream before he fell into darkness.

Jim paced through the room. He was sure the others were getting annoyed by him, but he couldn’t stop. They had just brought Bones in the operating room and he saw nurses enter and leave. That wasn’t hygienic, so he knew something was up. When M’Benga came out of the room, standing at the door to address them all, Jim froze, staring scared at the doctor.

“He lost too much blood. Even transfusion can’t help him anymore. I’m sorry. He is sort of awake right now, you can say goodbye. I have no idea how long it’ll take, so it would be best if you hurry.”

Spock immediatly stood up and held Jim by the arm, making sure his captain wouldn’t fall over. Jim couldn’t believe it. Bones? Dying?

He followed the others into the small room, still smelling of blood. He stood next to Bones and grabbed his hand. “You’re not allowed to die Bones. You’re not. Can’t someone just give him Khan’s blood, as you did with me? Or give him my blood, that must have some healing power left from Khan?”

“It doesn’t work like that, Jim.” Spock rested a hand on his shoulder, knowing his captain couldn’t be a captain right now. Jim’s voice trembled and he blinked fast, trying to keep his tears inside. “Bones, please.”

The others stroked their hand over Bones’ head one last time, before leaving Jim alone with him, knowing that deep down, they were more than just friends.

“Jim,” Bones rasped.

“Bones, don’t talk, you’re hurt. Please don’t die. Please, I need you.”

“Lost, too much.” Bones looked at Jim, his eyes and face having a sick colour. How could it have gone this fast?! Bones was running towards the trees a couple of hours ago!

“Bones no. I don’t want you to die. I need you. I can’t lose you.”

Bones smiled sadly. Jim knew it was because he got pain medication because everything hurt too much. “You’ll do great Jim. It’ll be fine. I love you.”

He closed his eyes and stopped moving. Jim stared in shock, did his best friend just tell him that he loved him? Was his crush not unrequired?! “Bones? Bones? Bones, I love you too! Bones!”

He started yelling and screaming, alerting the people outside that Bones had passed away. With tears streaming down his face Jim kept screaming until his voice was hoarse. Spock came in and dragged him away from the room, so Bones’ body could be cleaned and brought to the morgue.

In another room, close to medbay, Jim turned to Spock, tears slowly stopping to dry on his face. “He told me he loved me. He told me just before he… before he died.”

Spock nodded and held Jim close. The Vulcan felt the loss too, already missing his friend. He had to be strong now, for his captain. For the man who lost his friend, his partner.

“He died before I could-” Jim’s voice cracked and he studdered out a shallowed breath, trying not to start crying again. “Before I could say I love him too.”

Trying to stop crying was pointless because Jim had too many emotions inside of him. Sadness and grief overtaking everything else, even the fac that Bones loved him back. And at the back of his head, there was a small portion of guilt. Guilt that he hadn’t confessed his love sooner. He knew How dangerous their jobs were! He should’ve said something sooner. And guilt for the away-mission. He let Bones check on everyone, but he didn’t check if Bones was okay. He’s the captain, he should check if nobody got shot!

Spock held him close the entire time, not letting go until Uhura came to check on them. When Jim let go and looked up at Spock, he realised his face was wet too. Spock couldn’t keep an emotion as grief inside, not when it was over his friend.

“Do you think he knew?”

Christine turned her head, staring at Jim. “Knew what?”

“That I loved him too,” Jim whispered. 

They sat on a bench near the memorial of Leonard McCoy. Back on the ship hung a plaque, so Bones would never be forgotten. Turned out that the last alien shot him when he was running towards the trees. He hadn’t noticed in all the adrenaline of getting to the trees and when he was there, he was more worried patching up everyone else than listen to the signs his body was giving him. When they had found out on the ship, he’d already lost more than one and a half liters of blood. When they got him prepped for surgery, he was moved in a way that exposed an important artery. Jim didn’t understand everything, but it made Bones bleed out faster than they could give him blood. And he lost too much for blood transfusion to help, so that wasn’t an option anymore.

Jim likes to think Bones died in a way that fit him. He made sure everyone else was healthy and safe, before thinking of himself. And he got the last word with Jim, which had been a game between the two of them.

“I think he knew,” Christine interrupted Jim’s thoughts. “He once told me he was scared of messing up your friendship if he confessed, but deep down, he knew. He just wasn’t ready to confront it yet.”

“Oh.”

She put her hand on his knee. “Don’t go in a spiral Jim, he’d want you to be happy and become the best captain ever. And don’t think about dying on a mission either, he’ll rant for the rest of eternity in the afterlife if you do that.”

Jim chuckled, wiping away the tears on his face. That sounded like Bones.

He stood up, walked over to the memorial and put his hand on the text written in the stone. “I love you Bones. I’ll make you proud.”

_ Leonard Horatio McCoy _

_ 2227 - 2265 _

_ Doctor, MD, PhD _

_ CMO of the Enterprise _

_ Soulmate of James T. Kirk _


End file.
